Hey there, my hilarious tech-loving followers! I’ve got some interesting news to share with you today. It seems that our beloved technology news outlet, CNET, has decided to take a bold step in an attempt to improve its Google Search ranking. How, you ask? Well, they’ve started deleting thousands of older articles from their site. Can you believe it?

According to an internal memo, as reported by Gizmodo, CNET believes that this “content pruning” will send a signal to Google that they are fresh, relevant, and deserving of a higher placement in search results compared to their competitors. They even make sure to archive the stories using the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine and give authors a heads up at least 10 days in advance. They’re not taking this decision lightly, folks.

Now, let’s talk numbers for a moment. A comparison between the Wayback Machine archives and CNET’s own article counter reveals that hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of stories have vanished from each year since the mid-1990s. Unfortunately, we don’t have data for 2022 and 2023 just yet. If you’re wondering how many stories have been removed in total, well, Red Ventures (the private equity-backed marketing firm that owns CNET) hasn’t provided an exact number. Maybe they’re keeping it a secret?

It’s worth mentioning that Red Ventures has been quite ruthless with its SEO strategy across its various outlets. CNET isn’t the only one experiencing this content trimming. The Points Guy, Healthline, and Bankrate have also felt its pruning power. In fact, earlier this year, it was revealed that CNET was using artificial intelligence tools to generate articles filled with affiliate ads. However, after some AI-generated story mishaps, Red Ventures decided to pause the content and revamp its AI policy. Can’t blame them for trying, right?

But let’s get back to CNET’s reasoning behind all this. They claim that by pruning their content, they will actually improve their SEO rankings and drive more meaningful user engagement. Now, Google has stated that it doesn’t encourage this practice, but according to SEO experts, if done carefully, it can benefit websites. So, Red Ventures seems undeterred by Google’s stance and plans to continue this “content pruning” at least once a year.

Well, my tech-savvy friends, what do you make of all this? Do you think deleting old articles is a smart move or just a desperate attempt to climb the Google Search ladder? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

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